African Agriculture and Food Systems
Seven research briefs from the CGIAR Science Program on Better Diets and Nutrition paint a detailed and troubling picture: nearly all women surveyed consume far below the recommended daily fruit and vegetable intake, and the consequences are showing up in blood pressure readings, body weight, and market stalls alike. Walk through any market in Arusha […]
By Kilimokwanza Mama Amina wakes before dawn to prepare breakfast for her family before the long walk to the shamba. She has never felt sick, not in any way she could name. No dizziness that lasted. No chest pains that made her stop. And so she has never seen a reason to visit the clinic […]
By Kilimokwanza There is a convenient assumption buried in conversations about vegetable production and nutrition in Africa: that more vegetables, grown by more farmers, is unambiguously good for dietary health. The July 2025 research brief titled Vegetable, Fruit, and Staple Crop Production and Input Use: Baseline Findings from the FRESH End-to-End Evaluation (Tanzania Evaluation, Research […]
By Kilimokwanza If Tanzania’s vegetable farming is dominated by a small number of crops, its fruit farming is dominated by a single one. The July 2025 research brief titled Vegetable, Fruit, and Staple Crop Production and Input Use: Baseline Findings from the FRESH End-to-End Evaluation (Tanzania Evaluation, Research Brief 3, July 2025), assessing agricultural production […]
By Kilimokwanza Arusha and Kilimanjaro sit beside each other on the map, share a climate zone shaped by Mount Kilimanjaro, and are often grouped together in development programming. The July 2025 research brief titled Vegetable, Fruit, and Staple Crop Production and Input Use: Baseline Findings from the FRESH End-to-End Evaluation (Tanzania Evaluation, Research Brief 3, […]
By Kilimokwanza Walk into a kitchen in Arusha or Kilimanjaro and you are likely to encounter African eggplant. Known locally as nyanya chungu, or bitter tomato, it appears in stews, relishes, and soups across both regions. It is not an exotic ingredient. It is a daily food, a traditional vegetable with deep roots in local […]
A humble tuber grown in the mists of the Southern Highlands is quietly transforming the fortunes of thousands of Tanzanian families. With the founding of the Potato Council of Tanzania and the power of farmer-led programmes, the country is poised to become Africa’s next great potato powerhouse. Kilimokwanza.org –The harvest that changed minds. Songea Municipal Hon. […]
By Kilimokwanza Amaranth, known in Kiswahili as mchicha, is one of the most nutritionally dense leafy vegetables grown in East Africa. Rich in iron, calcium, protein, and vitamins A and C, it is among the greens most frequently mentioned in discussions of food-based approaches to addressing micronutrient deficiencies in the region. It is widely cultivated, […]
By Kilimokwanza On a typical vegetable farm in Arusha or Kilimanjaro, tomatoes occupy a special place. They are grown on nearly half the plot dedicated to them, almost double the land share given to any other vegetable. They receive fertiliser at a rate of 95% of farming households, more than any other crop in the […]
By Kilimokwanza Correspondent The question of why so few Tanzanians eat enough fruit and vegetables is often framed as a market problem, a behaviour problem, or an affordability problem. A baseline evaluation published in July 2025 by researchers from the International Food Policy Research Institute and partners suggests it is also, at a foundational level, […]